The Text of Integral Humanism

Chapter 3, Part 2

Why
Mighty Nations Of Antiquity Perished ?

It
is known that some ancient nations disappeared. The ancient Greek nation
came to end. Egyptian civilization similarly disappeared. Babylonian
and Syrian civilizations are a matter of history. Cynthia's perished.
Was there ever a time when the citizens of those nations stopped living
together? It was only the fact that there were wide differences among
people that let to the downfall of these nations. The Greece in the
past produced Alexander and Heredotes. Ulysis and Aristotle, Socrates
and Plato and the present day Greece is inhabited by people of the same
hereditary stock. There was no interruption in their heredity, because
there never was a time when the whole of Greece was devoid of human
population and when a new race inhabited that country. Such a thing
never happened. Father and son tradition of old Greece was never interrupted.
It is possible to trace the ancestry of present day Greeks to the old
Greeks, some 250 to 500 generation back. Despite all the old Greek Nation
is non-existent. So also the old Egyptian Nation Is no longer there.
New nations have arisen in those places. How did this happen? This simple
fact is indisputable, that nations do not come into existence by a mere
co habitation. There was never a time in the lives of the citizens of
these decadent nations, when they stopped living in a group. On the
other hand Israeli Jews lived for centuries with other peoples scattered
far and wide, yet they did not get annihilated in the societies in which
they lived because of cohabitation. It is clear therefore that the source
of national feeling is not in staying on a particular piece of land,
but is in something etc.

What
Is A Nation?

That
source is in the goal which is put before the people. When a group of
persons lives with a goal, and ideal. A mission , and looks upon a particular
place of land as motherland, this group constitutes a nation. If either
of the two-an ideal and a motherland-is not there, then there is no
nation. There is a "Self" in the body, the essence of the individual;
upon the severance of its relation with the body, a person is said to
die. Similarly there is this idea, ideal, or fundamental principle of
a nation, its soul. Although it is believed that man take birth again
and again, yet the reborn person is a different individual. They are
treated as two separate beings. The same soul leaves one body and enters
another, but the previous and the latter are two different individuals.
The end of a person is nothing but the departure of his soul from his
body. The other components of the body also undergo change. From childhood
to old age, there is a drastic change! The biologists tell us that in
course of a few years, every cell of our body is replaced by a new one.
A variety of changes takes place. Because the soul resides in the body
without interruption, the body continues its existence, such a relation
is known as "the law of identity" in logic. It is due to this identity
that we admit the continued existence of any entity. In this connection
a nice illustration of a barber's razor is sometimes advanced.

Once while shaving
a customer, a barber, prided in his razor being 60 years old. His
father too had worked with the same razor. The customer was surprised
especially because the handle was quite shiny and new In appearance.
"Why the handle is quite shiny? How have your preserved the brightness
for sixty years?" He asked. Barber too was amused with this. Is it
possible to preserve the handle in a brand new appearance for sixty
years? It has been replaced only six months ago". He replied naturally.
The customer was curious and asked and how old is the steel? Three
years was the reply. In brief. the handle was replaced. the steel
was also replaced, but the razor remained old! Its identity was intact.
Similarly a nation too has a soul. There is a technique name for it.
In the "Principles arid Policies" adopted by the Jana Sangh, this
name is mentioned. The word is Chiti. According to McDougal, it is
the innate nature of a group. Every group of persons has an innate
nature. Similarly every society has an innate nature, which is inborn.
and is not the result of historical circumstances.

A human being
is born with a soul. Human personality, Soul and character are all
distinct from one another.. Personality results from a cumulative
effect of all the actions, thoughts and impressions of an individual.
But Soul is unaffected by this history, Similarly national culture
is continuously modified and enlarged by the historic reasons and
circumstances. Culture does include all those things which by the
association, endeavors and the history of the society, have come to
be held up as good and commendable. but these are not added on to
Chiti. Chiti is fundamental and is central to the nation from its
very beginning. Chiti determines the direction in which the nation
is to advance culturally. Whatever is in accordance with Chiti, is
included in culture.

Chiti, Cullture, Dharma

By
way of an illustration consider the story of Mahabharat. Kauravas were
defeated, and Pandavas won. Why did we hold up the conduct of Pandavas
as Dharma? Or why this battle was not considered just a battle for a
kingdom? The praise for Yudhistir and the dishonor heaped on Duryodhana
are not a result of political causes Krishna killed his uncle Kansa,
the established king of the times. Instead of branding this as a revolt.
we consider Krishna as an Avatar of God, and Kansa as an Asura.

Rama was assisted
in his invasion of Lanka by Vibhishana, brother of Ravana. Such conduct
of Vibhishana instead of being branded as treason, is considered good
and exemplary. He betrayed his brother and his king even as Jaichand
had one later on. He might be branded as a "quisling". But Vibhishana
is not called "quisling' by any one. On the contrary he is highly
praised for his conduct, and Ravana actions are disapproved. Why so?
The reason behind this is not political.

If there is any
standard for determining the merits and demerits of particular action,
it is this Chiti; from nature whatever is in accordance with 'Chiti',
is approved and added on to culture. These things are to be cultivated.
Whatever is against 'Chiti,' is discarded as perversion, undesirable,
is to be avoided. Chiti is the touchstone on which each action, each
attitude is tested, and determined to be acceptable or otherwise.
'Chitti' is the soul of the nation. On the strength of this 'Chiti',
a nation arises, strong and virile if it is this 'Chiti' that is demonstrated
in the actions of every great man of a nation.

An individual
is also in instrument in bringing forth the soul of the nation "Chiti".
Thus apart from his own self, an individual also represents his nation.
Not only that, but he also mans the various institutions that are
created for the fulfillment of the national goal. Therefore he represents
these too. The groups larger than nation such as "mankind" are also
represented by him. In short, an individual has a multitude of aspect,
but they are not conflicting; there is co-operation. unity and harmony
in them. A system based on the recognition of this mutuality complementary
nature of the different ideals of mankind, their essential harmony,
a system which devises laws, which removes the disharmony and enhances
these mutual usefulness and co-operation, alone can bring peace and
happiness to mankind; can ensure steady development.